Infant&#39;s sleeping bag



y 6, 1959 E. HJMTAYLOR I 2,888,009

- INFANT'S SLEEPING BAG Filed April 25. 1956 INVENTOR. ELIZABETH H. 774W. 0/?

. I M BY 1 A 3.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice 2,888,009 Patented May 26, 1959 2,888,009 INFANTS srnnrnvo BAG Elizabeth H. Taylor, Denver, Colo. Application April 25, 1956, Serial No. 580,512

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-134) My present invention relates to an infants sleeping bag which has been designed especially for use by infants and small children to provide comfort, freedom of body movement, and safety at all times for the infantwhile in the garment.

Various types of infants sleeping garments and socalled sleeping bags have appeared upon the market but none of these articles has afforded the necessary comfort and provided the necessary freedom for the infant without endangering the infant during his movements within the garment, due to the fact that said infant was able to gain access to the closure-operating means for the garment and partially free himself therefrom, or because of his discomfort in a relatively cramped condition, causing squirming to such an extent as to become twisted out of normal position within the garment, which resulted sometimes in near-suffocation, or at least discomfort and consequent unhappiness and loss of rest and sleep.

One. of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and novel infants sleeping garment, bag, or cover which has none of the objectionable features of the prior art or previously known infants sleeping garments, or bags and which provides complete comfort and freedom of movement of the infant, as Well as safety for the infant at all times while within the garment or bag.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lightweight yet durable infants sleeping garment in which means is provided to give the infant freedom of body movement, the utmost comfort while in said garment, and which affords softness and a comfortable and safe fit around the childs neck. The infant therefore remains covered by the required amount of additional covers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved inexpensive garment as aforesaid in which the neck opening of the garment is of ample size for complete comfort to the infant, yet which is sufiiciently small to prevent the child from reaching his hand or hands through the. neck opening to tamper with, and perhaps release, the zipper fastening means or actuator which is disposed at the neck opening when the sleeping garment is in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment of the character described above in which the interfitting parts of the zipper as well as the operating or actuating means for opening and closing said zipper are out of contact with the body of the infant and his clothing.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved infants sleeping garment as aforesaid in which the freedom of 'body movement and exline down to the bottom marginal edge thereof; it being another object and feature of the present invention to provide only a minimum of space within the garment 2 in the area located above the shoulder line thereof and between said shoulder line and the top edge or margin of said garment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment of the foregoing character in which tie means is provided at each of the four corners of the garment for the purpose of attaching it to the crib or other type bed or surface upon which the garment is used.

A further and important object of the present invention is to provide adequate body fullness for the infants sleeping garment, which fullness is provided by expansible means disposed along the side edges of the garment throughout a major portion of its length but confined to the area below the shoulder line of the occupant, for the purpose of allowingenlargement or expansion of the garment betweenits top and bottom portions or sections, thus permitting free and easy turning or twisting movements of the infant within the garment, without any possibility of danger befalling him, or of his extricating himself from the garment; it being another object of my invention to provide movable means for covering and thus concealing the operator or actuating means for the zipper. i

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description and appended claims when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

.In said drawing: i

Fig. l is a top plan view of the new and improved infants sleeping garment or bag embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a. transverse vertical sectional viewtaken substantially along the line 2 .2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and being in the region of the neck portion or opening ,of the garment;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the garment, taken substantially along the line .3--3

v of Fig. l, and illustrating the expansibility of the garment due to the provision of pleatsQor gussets disposed along a major portion of both longitudinal side edges or margins of said garment;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail plan view of the lower portion of the neck opening, showing the structure thereof. and also the upper and adjacent portion of the zipper and protective tabfor covering the zipper operating means or member; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line S- -S of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in they accompanying drawing, since the invention is-capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. It is to be understood also that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond therequirements of the prior art.

Referring now particularly to the drawing, the improved infants sleeping garment of the present invention is shown as a whole at 10 in Fig. 1. The garment is preferably formed from ordinary sheeting materialand has its top end or marginal edge 1011 closed and its bottom end or marginal edge 10b also closed. The garment comprises an upper generally rectangular piece or portion 11 and a similar lower piece or portion 12, these portions, sheets, or sections being joined or connected together along their longitudinal side edges ormargins by a aeaaooa single pleat or gusset'13 at the left edge and a similar pleat or gusset 14 at the longitudinal right side edge of the garment. The pleats 13 and 14, as shown, terminate at their upper ends at the points indicated by the short lines of transverse or cross stitching 15a, and 16a, respectively, as seen in Fig. l. Fom these points to the top marginal edge a, the upper and lower sheets or portions 10 and 11 are without or minus the pleats, see 100 and 10d, which terminate at these points, Fig. l. The small top corner areas which are plain and not pleated, are defined by the previously-mentioned short transverse lines of stitching 15a and 16a and by the longitudinally extending connected lines of stitching 15 and 16, which latter extend to the top edge or margin 10a of the garment.

Each of the four corners of the garment 11 is provided with means, such as cord or ribbon ties for attaching the garment to portions of the crib, bed, or the like upon which it is placed. As shown in Fig. 1, such means comprises upper and lower cords or ribbons 17 and 18 at the left side of the garment. They are connected, respectively, at the points 17a and 18a to the body of the garment. Similar upper and lower right hand tie members 19 and 20 are also attached, respectively, to the garment at points 19:: and 20a. The several ties are attached to the garment in any suitable manner, such as being stitched thereto at the points 17a, 18a, 19a, and 20a.

While I have shown the use of a single fold, pleat or gusset 13 at the left and a similar one at 14 along the right longitudinal side or edge of the garment, it will be understood that a double, or triple pleat or gusset may be provided at these points, should that be found desirable. By terminating the pleats 13 and 14 at the points of line stitching 15a and 16a, and by virtue of the provision of the several lines of stitching 15a, 15 and 16a, 16, the expansible body-freedom-giving portion or area of the garment is confined entirely to the lower portion thereof which is all located below the neck line, i.e., the inner edge of said neck opening, and from the shoulders of the occupant down to the bottom edge or margin 10b of the garment. The area above the transverse lines 15a and 16a is, as stated above, held flat and smooth under the infants head. This slightly expansible area above this imaginary line allows controlled freedom of the hands, arms and shoulders and keeps the child in the proper position in the bed.

As shown, the top sheet or panel 11 of the garment is provided with a neck opening 21. I have discovered that the diameter of this opening for best results and to prevent the infant from reaching his hand and arm through said opening, a three-and-one-half inch (3%) diameter opening is ample in size, yet not large enough to permit hand and arm insertion. Thus, I have provided an opening of this size in the top sheet 11. To afford softness and comfort to the childs neck, the material surrounding the opening is padded, or lined preferably with a one-half inch cotton cording material, indicated at 22, Fig. 1. This cording material, as shown, is stitched to the underface or surface of the fabric top sheet or panel 11 in a generally circular line, as indicated at 23.

T 0 permit the infant to be placed inside the garment, I have provided a longitudinally extending, centrally located, conventional zipper assembly or unit 24 which is attached at its lower end to the underside of the sheet 11 adjacent to a longitudinal opening formed in said sheet, by means of a connecting tab and stitching 25. Zipper 24 is provided with an operating member 24a for opening and closing the opening in the fabric cover or top portion 11. When the zipper 24 is closed, the operating member 24a underlies a preferably fabric flap or tab 27 which is attached to the face of sheet 11 and stitched thereto, as shown at 28 in Figs. 1 and 4. This tab or flap member 27 serves to cover the zipper actuator or operating means 24a and is releasably held to the sheet 11 by a conventional snap fastener 29. If, by any chance, the infant within the garment should manage i to reach out through the neck opening, he still could not reach the zipper control member 24a and open the garment, because of the fact that said member is concealed and protected by the movable flap 27.

To provide additional comfort for the infant so that the zipper proper cannot come in contact with the infant, or the infant clothing, I have provided an underlying and overlapping longitudinally extending fabric tape or member 26, see particularly Fig. 5, which is stitched along one side of the zipper at 26a. By virtue of the provision of the neck-located cotton cording or soft binding 22 and the underlying flap 26, it is impossible for any of the parts of the zipper proper 24 to come into contact with the infant, as well as being impossible for the infant to chafe or otherwise bruise or injure his neck at the neck opening 21.

By virtue of the provision of the longitudinally extending side pleats or the expansion means 13 and 14, the infant is free to turn on his side and even roll over within the garment. He is also free to move his legs and arms to various positions without being uncomfortably restrained or becoming cramped within said garment.

It is to be understood, of course, that I have illustrated and described herein only one form of my present invention. As stated above, the pleats or gussets extending along the longitudinal sides of the garment may be varied from what is illustrated in the drawing by way of example. Moreover, different fastening means may be substituted for the tie means or members 17, 18, 19 and 20. A different type, style, or shape flap and dilferent fastening means could, of course, be substituted for the flap shown at 27. While I have described the use of ordinary sheeting material from which to form the garment, the same being in one piece, folded or in two separate pieces stitched, or otherwise connected together along the top, bottom and both side edges or surrounding margins, other material, as well as shapes other than rectangular, may be substituted within the purview of my present invention.

I claim:

1. A sleeping bag for infants, comprising a substantially rectangular bag having upper and lower stretches joined along the top, bottom and sides to form a sealed enclosure, means for connecting the upper and lower stretches in integral relation inwardly from each side and extending from the top for a short distance toward the bottom of said bag so as to narrow the enclosure at the top, portions extending from said connecting means substantially to the bottom of said enclosure along said sides and spacing the top and bottom stretches throughout the extent of said portions, there being a neck opening for the infant in said top stretch adjacent but spaced from the top of said bag, a slit extending from said opening toward the bottom of the bag for providing infant ingress and egress to and from the interior of the bag, and means for closing said slit so as to maintain an infant enclosed with only its head and neck exposed and free to turn within the enclosure to sleeping positions on its back or stomach.

2. A sleeping bag for infants, comprising a substantially rectangular bag having upper and lower stretches joined along the top, bottom and sides to form a sealed enclosure, means for connecting the upper and lower stretches in integral relation inwardly from each side and extending from the top for a short distance toward the bottom of said bag so as to narrow the enclosure at the top, portions extending from said connecting means substantially to the bottom of said enclosure along said sides and spacing the top and bottom stretches throughout the extent of said portions, there being a neck opening for the infant in said top stretch adjacent but spaced from the top of said bag, a slit extending from said opening toward the bottom of the bag for providing infant ingress and egress to and from the interior of the bag, and means disposed along each side of said bag for its attachment to a supporting structure.

3. A sleeping bag for infants, comprising a substantially rectangular bag having upper and lower stretches joined along the top, bottom and sides to form a sealed enclosure, means for connecting the upper and lower stretches in integral relation inwardly from each side and extending from the top for a short distance toward the bottom of said bag so as to narrow the enclosure at the top, portions extending from said connecting means substantially to the bottom of said enclosure along said sides and spacing the top and bottom stretches throughout the extent of said portions, there being a neck opening for the infant in said top stretch adjacent but spaced from the top of said bag, a slit extending from said opening toward the bottom of the bag for providing infant ingress and egress to and from the interior of the bag, and means at the corners of said bag for its attachment to a supporting structure.

4. A sleeping bag for infants, comprising a substantially rectangular 'bag having upper and lower stretches joined along the top, bottom and sides to form a sealed enclosure, means for connecting the upper and lower stretches in integral relation inwardly from each side and extending from the top for a short distance toward the bottom of said bag so as to narrow the enclosure at the top, pleated portions extending from said connecting means substantially to the bottom of said enclosure along said sides and spacing the topand bottom stretches throughout the extent of said portions in bellows-like arrangement, there being'& neclr opening for the infant in said top stretch adjacent but spaced from the top of said bag, a slit extending from said opening toward the bottom of the bag for providing infant ingress and egress to and from the interior of the bagfand means for closing said slit so as to maintain an infant enclosed with only its head and neck exposed and free to turn within the enclosure to sleeping positions on its back or stomach.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,555 Page Oct. 25, 1927 2,060,092 Lucas Nov. 10, 1936 2,441,900 Oswald May 18, 1948 2,579,276 Schworm Dec. 18, 1951 2,625,695 Nicholson Ian. 20, 1953 

